I wore a Garmin watch to train for 2 marathons - 3 features I always look at and the one I avoid

It's that time of year again - the London Marathon ballot is soon to be released, putting a spring in the step of thousands of runners and making for a disappointing start to the day for others.

I've run two marathons with one of the best Garmin watches. It's often the first brand I will recommend to friends and family. The Garmin Forerunner is a collection of running watches, complete with all the metrics you'd need to ace your 5km, all the way through to an ultramarathon.

For my first marathon, I wore the Garmin Forerunner 945 (since discontinued), before switching to the Garmin Forerunner 265. I now wear the Garmin Forerunner 170, which was released a few months ago. All are excellent smartwatches. Like many Garmin types, they are packed with useful insights for runners, cyclists, and anyone else who enjoys cardio exercise with live readings and data in the app. But both times, there were features I paid more attention to than others.

1. Training Load

Training Load looks at the balance of base-building aerobic activity and harder anaerobic activity. Runners need a mix of both to improve their distance, speed, and overall performance, so this is a particularly useful metric for them. It is divided into three categories: Shortage (you're not doing enough of one exercise type), Balanced (you're exercising across different intensity levels), and Focus (you're focusing on one area of training).

When I tap into the metric, I can see which one I'm focusing too much or too little on and adjust my plan accordingly. If it's Balanced, then I continue on as normal. It's my preferred way of checking whether the type of training I'm doing is paying off.

2. Body Battery

Garmin has some of the most accurate and readable sleep, stress, and recovery data around, viewable on your watch and in the Garmin Connect app. I've spent many hours scrolling through mine. Overall, I've looked at my Body Battery Score the most.

This score takes heart rate variability (HRV), stress, sleep, and physical activity into account to give you a score out of 100, revealing your strain for the day. If my battery is low, I take it as a sign to go easy the next day or head to bed early.

I've sometimes found this more useful than looking at sleep or exercise recovery data alone. It takes all the metrics into account. For example, one night I may not have slept very well, but overall, my recovery might be fine because I didn't have a very active day.

I like how it focuses on the 'bigger picture' rather than small details, which are easy to get lost in and can be disheartening.

3. Garmin Coach

Not everyone can afford a running coach, and external running apps still require a subscription to follow a training plan. Garmin Coach delivers what many of these apps do, at no extra charge.

I like Garmin Run Coach, with its training plans for 5km, 10km, and half-marathon distances. All are suitable for beginners through to seasoned runners, and you can choose your coach from an Olympian, physiotherapist, or physiologist. You'll also get resistance training sessions to supplement your running, which is very important to avoid injury.

I used this feature to train for a 10km earlier this year, and was very impressed with my progress in improving my speed. I'd also recommend this feature to anyone confused about how to start running as a beginner or anyone who wants a starting point for weighted exercises.

I also like how it syncs and adapts to your watch, which no other running app does. For example, if you've not recovered well after a long run, the Coach will automatically edit your workouts for the following week to help you feel more energised before your next long run.

4. Training Status

While I always keep the Training Status feature ticking over on my watch and will check it occasionally, it is the one I tend to ignore. I look at Training Load instead. This shows my training balance and whether I need to do more of one than another. It's completely personal preference, though. Many people love the Training Status feature and find it very useful. Personally, I find it too changeable and often demotivating to look at.

There are eight labels, ranging from Peaking (you're ready to race) and Productive (your training is paying off and you're getting fitter) to Unproductive (your training and recovery aren't having a positive effect on your fitness) to Detraining (you've not done enough exercise to see progress).

When you get a positive label, suggesting it's all going great, it's motivating. But I've finished a slower long run or sat on the sofa for a day and started 'Detraining' too many times to have such a metric at the top of my screen.

Also, unlike Training Load, you don't get a deep dive on your watch into what needs improving to change your status. It feels like guesswork, and often, the label doesn't change for a few days.